The Bible contains the Gospel of the Kingdom but also the Gospel of Grace that is able to save all who believe. (John 3:16-18)
1 Corinthians 15:1-4 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,
To Paul was given the mystery that was hidden from the beginning. In Christ Jesus alone can we be saved. Jesus Christ, totally God and totally man, was the only One who could redeem mankind with His shed blood. He was buried three days and three nights and rose from the dead. He conquered the last bastion against humanity…death. He rose from the dead and so will we!
2 Peter 3:15-18 and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, 16 as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures. 17 You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; 18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.
The ascended Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is the only way to the Father.
Romans 16:25-27 Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began 26 but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith—27 to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen.
The revelation of the mystery, salvation by grace, is the gift of God. In Jesus we stand redeemed. No longer of works but of the loving kindness of our God. We study to stand approved not saved. The fullness of the Gospel brings the peace of God into our lives. When it pleased God this mystery was given to the Apostle Paul to preach the message of God’ gift of grace.
Revelation 1:11 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,”
Acts 11:19-21 Now those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but the Jews only. 20 But some of them were men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus. 21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord. 22 Then news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch. 23 When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord. 24 For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord.
Jesus came to the Jews He was the promised Messiah, the King of the Jews. After His resurrection Jesus revealed the mystery of His Grace. God did not send His Son to condemn the world but that through Him the world could be saved. In Christ we are saved. In His death and resurrection we are given life, abundant and eternal. Carla
These verses contain a doxology—a hymn to God—using several of the key themes of the letter (mystery, Gentiles, and obedience). Faithlife Study Bible
The word establish is only used twice in Romans. At the beginning of the book, Paul expresses a desire to visit the Romans that he might impart some spiritual gift to them so that they would be “established” (1:11). Now he praises God who is able to do it. God used the gospel, which is the preaching of Jesus Christ, to establish the Roman believers. Paul speaks of his message as a mystery (11:25) because God’s complete plan of salvation was at first hidden but now was being revealed. The revealed mystery is that the church will consist of both Jews and Gentiles united in the one body of Christ (Ephesians 3:1–13). The NKJV Study Bible
revelation (Gk. apokalupsis) (16:25; Eph. 1:17; 3:3; Rev. 1:1) Strong’s #602: Revelation is God’s communication to people concerning Himself, His moral standards, and His plan of salvation. God has made Himself known to all people everywhere in the marvels of nature and in the human conscience, which is able to distinguish right from wrong (1:18–20; 2:14, 15). The message of salvation was seen dimly through OT sacrifices and ceremonies. But the full and final revelation of God has occurred in Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:1, 2). At the Cross, Jesus revealed supremely God’s self-giving love (Romans 5:8). The good news is not complete until we hear that He rose again triumphantly over sin, Satan, and the grave, and is alive forevermore. The content of God’s special revelation concerning salvation is found in “the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of … the apostles of the Lord and Savior’
Colossians 1:26–27 the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Ephesians 1:9 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself,
Romans 1:5 Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name,
Romans 2:16 in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.
Ephesians 3:3–6 how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)…
Let us take with us Clarissa Pinkola Estes’ reminder, "Ours is not the task of fixing the entire world all at once, but of stretching out to mend the part of the world that is within our reach. Any small, calm thing that one soul can do to help another soul, to assist some portion of this poor suffering world, will help immensely." Sabbath Moments
Acts 22:14-15 (ESV) "And he said, 'The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth; for you will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard. '"
Paul defended his loyalty to his Jewish heritage and shared his testimony of the gospel's transformative power.
Acts 22 recounts Paul's defense to those who accused him of defiling the temple and teaching things that went against Jewish tradition (Acts 21:28). Rather than directly addressing these accusations, Paul described his Jewish "credentials" and summarized his transformative encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus (Acts 22:6-11). He then defended his association with gentiles by explaining that he was doing exactly what his Lord told him to do: Share the gospel with everyone. This defense was not only truthful but very clever. Paul was addressing devout Jews, including Pharisees, who were dedicated to following God's laws, and Paul pointed out that he himself was educated as a Pharisee by the well-known rabbi Gamaliel. Paul also aligned himself with the Jews by referring to "the God of our fathers" (Acts 22:14, emphasis added) and by stating that he was as "zealous for God" as they were (Acts 22:3), eager to follow the Lord's instructions.
Then Paul shared the specific instructions God gave him: to take the gospel message "far away to the Gentiles" (Acts 22:21). By following these instructions, Paul was behaving as every faithful Jew should.
Notably, throughout his speech, Paul never returned the anger and accusations his detractors threw at him. Although he was appointed to be a missionary to the gentiles (Acts 22:14-15), Paul never lost the desire for his fellow Jews to know the Truth of the gospel too. Romans 9:2-5 provides a poignant example of Paul's continued love for his fellow Jews: He said, "I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish ... for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen." By defending his faith more than defending himself against accusations, Paul surely hoped some of his Jewish listeners would be moved to follow Jesus. First5
No comments:
Post a Comment